Display carrier



Aug. 24, 1965 J. P. STERN ETAL DISPLAY CARR I ER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1958 g- 24, 1965 J. P. STERN ETAL 3,202,448

DISPLAY CARR I ER Filed May 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y .l/u miwm A/fv' United States Patent 3,202,443 DISPLAY ICARREER Jan Peter Stern, Yonkers, N.Y., and Robert Morton Mitchell, West Norwalk, Conn, assignors, by mcsne assignments, to R. A. Jones and (30., End, Covington, Ky, a corporation of Kentucky Filed May 22, 1953, Ser. No. 737,d77 4 Claims. (Ci. fink-87.2)

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, economical, and durable display and carrying means.

Another object is to provide a carrier which allows receptacles, such as, cans or bottles, to be attractively displayed in the store, and to obscure the labels on the containers to a minimum degree.

Another object of this invention is to provide a convenient carrier for receptacles which carriers themselves can be easily packed and'shipped, and when applied to the can, will enhance the looks and saleability of the container.

A further obg'ect of this invention is to provide a rigid carrier of plastic, light gauge sheet metal, and even cardboard or the like, with finger holes in the top portion, and with either an open or a closed central section for the individual holders.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carrier in which the central section of the individual holders may be solid, or the holders formed with a curved edge if open at the center, so that they may be separated and used as coasters.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as will appear from a reading of the following specification and claims, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction and process of manufacture hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will be further understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many and various forms, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and that the structural details or particular steps of the method herein set forth may be varied to suit particular purposes and still remain within the inventive concept.

Referring to the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a 6-pack carrier adapted for holding cans;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an individual unit broken off and serving as a coaster;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of pack carrier;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a further modified form showing a plan view in which the finger holes are offset in relation to the center line of the carrier and the flexible retaining edges do not extend completely around the openings.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is another form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a broken cross-sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a section taken on the line 101tl of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is another modified form of the carrier particularly adapted for displaying and carrying bottles:

FIG. 12 illustrates another form of bottle carrier;

FIG. 13 shows a section through the cup holder of FIG. 11 and FIG. 12;

asserts Patented Aug. 24:, 1965 ice FIG. 14 shows a modified form of cup holder which could be used particularly with FIGS. 11 and 12.

Referring to the drawings in more details:

The numeral 1 illustrates a display carrier for receptacles or containers, such as, cans and bottles, particularly those having a slight roll or lip at one end. The carrier comprises skirt 3. These separable, individual ring holders are connected by web portions 4. If desired, a grooved or weakened line 5 may be provided between the individual ring holders through the web portion whereby the individual receptacle holder may be broken oif and used as a coaster as illustrated in FIG. 3. Also, the individual holders may be broken oif to permit the storekeeper to sell less than a full pack, or to permit the buyer to use less than a full pack, or to permit the buyer to conserve space as the various containers are used.

If the holders are adapted to be used as coasters, it is preferable that the sections 5 between the rings be closed so as to permit the moisture to be caught which may drop on the coaster, particularly during the Summer months. Alternatively, this may be unnecesary since the rims of the holders are turned upward adjacent the central opening as illustrated in FIG. 5.

In at least one portion of the web, a finger hole 6 is provided so that the receptacles may be carried by means of a finger or fingers in the hole. For example, if a 6- container pack is used, each hole preferably would be positioned in the center of four of the containers. Likewise, if an 8-container pack is used, the distance apart of the finger holes would not be greater than the normal hand spread. Obviously, if a four container pack is used, one hole for one or two fingers would be suilicient.

The carrier is preferably made of a plastic material, such as polyethylene or polystyrene, but can also be made of any rubber-like material with some flexibility or with a flexible thin gauge metal or even with cardboard, depending upon the weight of the containers. The skirt portion must have resiliency in order to slip over and grip the edges of the can in order that the can will not fall while it is being transported. Hence, the cut-out portion 7 of the skirt provides additional flexibility or resiliency to the skirt and enables cans of beer 8, or cans or bottles holding other commodities, to be easily and safely transported.

The modified holder 9 of FIG. 4 has finger carrying holes it in the web portion 131. The skirt portion 12 is continuous rather than interrupted or cut-out, as in FIG. 1. Web 11 may be broken, and may even be provided with a breaking groove whereby to permit the individual units to serve ultimately as coasters. Since the units preferably have a slight groove around their circumference, this groove will serve to collect the moisture from a drinking glass, or from the container if the user drinks directly from the original can, and, as indicated in the foregoing, permits the carrier units to have open instead of solid top sections.

in the modified form shown in FIG. 6, the carrier 12 has the finger holes 13 oifset from the center line of the carrier. in addition, the retaining lips 14 extend approximately only half-way around the retaining rings 15. In this modification the skirt portion is short, While the over hang of the top of the receptacle is somewhat extended, and the web 16 in a longitudinal direction has a dependent reinforcing center rib 1'7.

To insert or withdraw a can from the carrier, the can is tilted and the rim placed in a plane between 14 and 15, by pressure. To withdraw a can from the carrier, it is tilted out. Due to the resiliency of the rib 14, the other side of the container can then be forced between the corresponding elements on the opposite side.

The receptacle carrier shown in FIG. 8, indicated by numeral 18, has oval finger holes 19 in the web portion 20. In a longitudinal direction and beneath the central portion of web 26 there is a depending rib 21, with adjacent upstanding. ribs for each'holder. Along'the side edges of the web 29 there are provided discontinuous, upstanding ribs-ZZ, for stacking. These ribs are primarily for reinforcement but incidentally give a decorative efiect to the carrier. l

FIG..9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8, with portions being broken away; and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1tl-10 ,Of: FIG. 8. As seen in FIG. 10, the web 20, along three sides, has a downwardly and inwardly extending shelf- 23. As in the modification shown in FIG. 6, dueto the resiliency of edge or shelf '23 the top of the container is forced betweenthe shelf 23 and the overhang 24 of the Web 2%. 7

Units to bepackaged are either slid in, or pressed in.

What we claim is:

1. A multi-container carrier separable into a plurality of coasters comprising a plurality of individual container holders, said container holders being aligned in parallel rows, a web of resilient plastic material of a'thickness to be readily frangible at predetermined points, said contain-- er holders being unitary with and supported by said web and disposed substantially in the same plane as said Web,

each of said holders having means to permit insertion of a container therein in one direction and removal of said container in an opposite direction, said means compris ing an annular ring having a curved upper edge forming an interior groove, said holders being of the same resilient material as said web, said ring having a singular unitary means for frictionally and releasably holding a single container, said singular means comprising a depending skirt of said resilient material adapted to extend around at least FIG. 'llshows a modified form which is particularly FIG. 12 shows a modified form in which the handle for the holder is made of a flexible or semirigid' material which can be extended in an outward direction as shown at 31', and buckled together or otherwise latched together as illustrated at 32 to form a carrying handle 31.

a portion of the top rim of one of said containers, said skirt having a resilient, inwardly directed annular projection adapted to maintain said rim between said projection and saidring, said'skirt having an outwardly flaring annular flange to facilitate insertion of said containers and to catch moisture when said holders are used as coasters,

While my preferred material is a rigid plastic with a a certain degree of resiliency to grip beneath the rolled edges of the containers, other materials having similar properties may also be used. Plastic is particularly suitable since it is easily molded, as for instance by injection molding or other types of forming processes. However, in the modification illustrated in FIG. 12,:the handle 31 musthave a certain amount of flexibility and can be formed of a flexible plastic or even leather. The remainder of the carrier can be fiexiblealso, in which case thebottles will contact each other or, if the remainder of the carrier is rigid, the bottles willbe contiguous or spaced as determined by'the spacing of the holders. ,As can be seen, we have invented a simple, inexpensive, utilitarian bott-lecarrier which will promote the sale of goods in its original container with its labels exposed. 7

Another advantage of our invention is that it can be used for stacking tiers of containers on top of each other. Furthermore, the open center type holders can be used as a drinking lip or pouring spout, etc." In addition, since only. the. rim of the container is covered, the complete sides, bottom and top, if desired, of the container are exposed. Obviously, if a solid top section is used for the holder, it may also carry advertising matter.

, The features shown in one figure may be used in the other modifications, for example, the breaking" groove 4' illustrated in FIG. 1, the closed central section of FIG. 1, the open central section ,of'FIG. 4, etc. four pack carrier were used, one hole for one or two fingers could be used, or for an eight pack carrier, three holes for a thumb and two fingers. I

Obviously, if a 1 group of containers may be transported place to place as a unit'and said rings, when individually separated from said web, maybe utilized as coasters for the'containers secured therein.

2. A carrier as set forth in claim 1 in which'said projec- 7 tion of said skirt provides a'shelf and between which shelf and web the'rim of a container is capable of being wedged.

3. The carrier as set forthin claim 1 wherein said pro' jections are discontinuous with respect to each other and positioned at spaced intervals with respect to the periphery of each holder. V

4. The carrier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said skirt and said projection are continuous about the periphery of each holder. a

7. References Cited by the Examiner 3 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,038,990

4/ 36 Barr. 2,080,947 5/37 Ligeour 220-23.4 2,301,594 I 11/42 Voigtritter 29487.2 2,650,128 8/,53 Failor 29487.2 2,754,962 7/56 Scrymgeour. V

2,814,405 11/57 Edwards 215--41 2,874,835 2/59 Poupitch.

. V POREIGNPATENTS N 662,500 12/51 Great Britain.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.-

JAMES s. SHANK, LEO QUACKENBUSH; DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Examiners. p Y 

1. A MULTI-CONTAINER CARRIER SEPARABLE INTO A PLURALITY OF COASTER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL CONTAINER HOLDERS, SAID CONTAINER HOLDERS BEING ALIGNED IN PARALLEL ROWS, A WEB OF RESILIENT PLASTIC MATERIAL OF A THICKNESS TO BE READILY FRANGIBLE AT PREDETERMINED POINTS, SAID CONTAINER HOLDERS BEING UNITARY WITH AND SUPPORTED BY SAID WEB AND DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID WEB EACH OF SAID HOLDERS HAVING MEANS TO PERMIT INSERTION OF A CONTAINER THERIN IN ONE DIRECTION AND REMOVAL OF SAID CONTAINER IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN ANNULAR RING HAVING A CURVED UPPER EDGE FORMING AN INTERIOR GROOVE, SAID HOLDERS BEING OF THE SAME RESILIENT MATERIAL AS SAID WEB, SAID RING HAVING A SINGULAR UNITARY MEANS FOR FRICTIONALLY AND RELEASABLY HOLDING A SINGLE CONTAINER, SAID SINGULAR MEANS COMPRISING A DEPENDING SKIRT OF SAID RESILIENT MATERIAL ADAPTED TO EXTEND AROUND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE TOP RIM OF ONE OF SAID CONTAINERS, SAID SKIRT HAVING A RESILIENT, INWARDLY DIRECTED ANNULAR PROJECTION ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN SAID RIM BETWEEN SAID PROJECTION AND SAID RING, SAID SKIRT HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FLARING ANNULAR FLANGE TO FACILITATE INSERTION OF SAID CONTAINERS AND TO CATCH MOISTURE WHEN SAID HOLDERS ARE USED AS COASTERS, SAID RINGS BEING SPACED SO THAT ANY CONTAINERS BEING GRASPED THEREBY ARE POSITIONED ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER WHEREBY THEY MUTUALLY SUPPORT EACH OTHER, OPPOSED FINGER HOLES IN SAID WEB BETWEEN SAID RINGS FOR GRASPING SAID CARRIER AND BREAKING GROOVES IN SAID WEB BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT RINGS TO PERMIT SEPARATION THEREOF FROM SAID WEB UPON THE APPLICATION OF PRESSURE THERETO, WHEREBY A GROUP OF CONTAINERS MAY BE TRANSPORTED PLACE TO PLACE AS A UNIT AND SAID RINGS, WHEN INDIVIDUALLY SEPARATED FROM SAID WEB, MAY BE UTILIZED AS COASTERS FOR THE CONTAINERS SECURED THEREIN. 